Second World

"You said your two guilds have respectively sent your experts to clear this dungeon; I suppose that some of you are among those experts?" Jack asked.     

"That's right," Silverwing confirmed.     

"Then you can leave the dungeon even without clearing it or getting killed? Because your levels are still high."     

While Silverwing was talking, Jack scanned the people inside the room with his monocle. Warpath was the highest at level 14, while Silverwing and Selena were the next highest at level 13; the rest were level 12.     

"We did get killed," Bluedaze answered. "Except Silverwing; he wasn't in the party."     

"Then how are you still level 12? I thought that players who die outside of the safe zone drop to level one."     

"Because the dungeon is not considered wilderness," Silverwing replied. "The penalty for dying in the dungeon is the same as dying in safe zones; you only get reduced by a single level."     

"I see…" Jack said.     

"It is not wise for us to keep throwing in our experts to try the dungeon as it will hinder our experts' growth if they keep on dying. However, we cannot wait for our experts to level up until they have sufficient strength, as other guilds might find out about this dungeon. If some other guild manages to get the item we are after, all our efforts will be for naught. Hence, we see no option but to cooperate between our two guilds who know about this dungeon."     

"You mentioned that there's one item your two guilds are after. Will you get two of those items after clearing the dungeon?"     

"No, there will be only one. And it is a reward for first clear; we won't get it anymore if we clear the dungeon another time," Silverwing answered Jack's question.     

"Then how do you decide which guild get this item?"     

Silverwing glanced at Queen Magenta before answering, "There is a ranking system inside the dungeon based on the contribution of each member in clearing the dungeon. The system will announce the rank of each participant after clearance. We have agreed that the guild whose representative has acquired the first rank will get the item. Each of our two guilds will send out five members, four members of the guild, and one helper from outside the guild. We don't want to involve too many people outside of our guilds to prevent information leak."     

Jack was getting the picture. He would be White Scarfs' outside help, while Wicked Witches' would bring Warpath. Now that they had said so much, he didn't suppose he could reject Silverwing's request.     

"Now, if you have finished explaining to that fool, can we start talking about our strategy?" Queen Magenta commented acidly.     

"Fine, let's start then," Silverwing replied. He was a bit annoyed with the woman's arrogance, but he still kept his calm smile. He had learned to keep an unruffled exterior under most circumstances after co-leading the guild for quite some time. Jack, on the other hand, kept his indifference to the woman's remarks. He had also dealt with difficult people in his past; it was a waste of time quarreling with her type.     

The two leaders then started sharing their respective experiences in trying to conquer the dungeon; the routes and paths taken, the monsters encountered, the traps found, and how far they had gotten before getting killed.     

From their information sharing, they found that the monsters they encountered were roughly the same. They were the insect-type monsters; Giant Ant and Giant Ant Warrior.     

But they also discovered that the floor plans they had mapped out during their past ventures were different.     

"Could it be the map layout changes with each entry?" Sinreaper commented after analyzing the information.     

"That could probably be the case," Jeanny from the Wicked Witches gave her opinion.     

"If that is so, then the map we have recorded is useless," Selena added. "We will be facing a new map the next time we enter."     

"One good thing is that the monsters and their levels are roughly the same," Silverwing said. "They are all level 12 or 13, which we should be able to handle. With our line-up, we should manage to finish the dungeon despite encountering a new map. We just need to make sure we take enough restorative potions for everyone entering the dungeon."     

"So neither of your two guilds have met the boss?" Jack asked.     

Silverwing shook his head while Queen Magenta stayed silent, which Jack took to mean that her situation was the same as Silverwing's.     

"Then we don't know the degree of difficulty for the Boss," Jack surmised.     

"Are you afraid?" Warpath said with disdain. "If so, you can just run home and drink milk from your mama."     

Jack continued to ignore the guy.     

"I think the Boss' level should not be too far above the other monsters in the dungeon," Silverwing said. "And since there is no time limit to the dungeon, we can proceed cautiously, preserving our strength and our restorative items for the Boss. I think we should be able to do it as long as we don't act recklessly."     

"I agree," Selena said.     

"All right, I think we have laid out what we know. When do you propose we should proceed?" Silverwing asked Queen Magenta.     

"The sooner, the better," she replied.     

"How about tomorrow morning then? We can use today to prepare. We will meet at the entrance of the ruin tomorrow at 8 AM."     

"All right," Queen Magenta said.     

"Then let's conclude this meeting," Silverwing said.     

"Wait!" Jack suddenly exclaimed.     

"What is it? A nobody shouldn't make a sound," Queen Magenta uttered with disdain.     

"Oh, it's nothing serious. This nobody was just wondering, previously you agreed that if we fail this operation because of me, Silverwing will be giving compensation. What's the compensation?"     

"That's a good question," Queen Magenta turned to Silverwing.     

"All right. If we fail, we will pay you one gold," Silverwing said.     

Queen Magenta shook her head. "If we fail, we are not just wasting everybody's time. Everyone would be losing a level too. You should at least pay three gold to show your sincerity."     

Silverwing frowned at the demand. Three gold was a large sum even for their guild's collective savings.     

"All right," Jack answered for Silverwing, which surprised everyone. "But on one condition."     

Queen Magenta said, "I'm afraid you don't have the authority to make a decision here, boy."     

"No, he can. Let him speak," Silverwing said.     

Jack nodded to him and turned to Queen Magenta. "If the failure is due to me, we will pay you three gold coins. But if we succeed and my rank is higher than everyone here, you pay us three gold coins to show your sincerity."     

Everyone was astounded by Jack's proposal. Silverwing was the first to regain his composure.     

"Mister Storm Wind's proposal is good. It will be a fair bet. I agree with those terms; what about you?"     

Queen Magenta smirked, "Heh, why should we agree to such a thing? It won't happen anyway."     

Jack smiled, "Well, if you are afraid and have no confidence in your champion Warpath here. Then just forget about all this compensation."     

"Who said we are afraid!" Warpath yelled. He then said to Queen Magenta, "just agreed to it. Even if we succeed, there is no way he would rank better than me. There is nothing to lose!"     

Queen Magenta thought for a while and finally said. "All right, I agree. We will put that condition as a compensation bet between us. Everyone here shall be witnesses."     

"Naturally," Silverwing said with his usual smile.